Kate James/Daily Emerald

The Grammys are the biggest night in music. With artists from all over, it’s one of the few nights a year where all the big names are in one room, celebrating the past year of releases and talented artists. On Nov. 7, 2025 the Recording Academy officially announced the 2026 Grammy nominees. As always, this year’s nominees stirred up excitement and confusion from fans. 

Although there are 95 Grammy categories, the Recording Academy only announced the 26 most notable via Instagram and on their official website. This season, there are names both old and new, as well as artists that many feel are missing from the nominations.

There are four awards that are thought to be the most prestigious: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. These are some of the only awards that aren’t restricted by genre, making them the most competitive.

Leading this year is Kendrick Lamar with nine nominations, repeating many categories from the 2025 award ceremony. Following him are Lady Gaga and producer Jack Antanoff with seven, Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter with six and SZA and Tyler the Creator with five. These are names that were predicted by many to be seen nominated for this year’s ceremony. 

This year Lamar will be trying for the seventh time to win the Album of the Year category for his album “GNX,” competing against Justin Bieber’s “SWAG,”  Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem,” Leon Thomas’s “MUTT,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend,” Tyler the Creator’s “CHROMAKOPIA,” Bad Bunny’s “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” and Clipse’s, Pusha T’s and Malice’s “Let God Sort Em Out.”

Like every year past, there are always artists that fans believe to be missing from these categories, as well as some unexpected names that bring a lot of joy. Olivia Dean is an artist that has gotten very popular in the past year. It is no surprise that her name is amongst those for Best New Artist, a very deserving title for the London-born artist. 

“I am absolutely ecstatic that Olivia Dean is nominated for Best New Artist,” Isabel Deumling, junior psychology student, said. “I think that title has been a long time coming, there’s truly nobody in the popular music scene doing it quite like she is.

Leon Thomas, an R&B singer who first started on the Nickelodeon show “Victorious,” had a massive year for his music career and is a big name in this year’s nominations. After the release of his new album “MUTT,” Thomas gained traction quickly and is now nominated for five separate categories, including Best New Artist and Album of the Year. Another musician that has been thought of as very deserving for these nominations.

Billie Eilish will be looking to win her first Grammy win since 2024. In the 2025 award ceremony, Eilish didn’t win any of her seven nominations. She is nominated for two categories this year for her song “Wildflower,” Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Another artist that surprised some in the Song of the Year category was Doechii’s “Anxiety,” a song that has been around since 2019 but was just released this year.

“I think it’s interesting that Billie Eilish and FINNEAS are adding ‘Wildflower’ back for Record of the Year and Song of the Year,” Carmel Shriki, sophomore psychology student, said, “they did get snubbed last year so that’s kind of interesting.”

There are many artists that have been nominated for the first time such as Dijon for Producer of the Year, PinkPantheress and Lola Young. Other first-time artists are Addison Rae and Alex Warren, two former TikTokers who have made their way to become Grammy-nominated. 

When Rae and Warren were announced as nominees, it was met with surprise and backlash from viewers. However, there is something to be said about how far they have come since their tiktok days.  Another surprise from the nominees this year was Tyler, the Creator’s “Don’t Tap the Glass” being up for Best Alternative Album.

A big name that many felt was missing was Lorde, who has only won a Grammy in 2014 for her song “Royals.” Her new album “Virgin,” was a big hit among fans so it was a surprise to not see her nominated for any categories. Her impressive catalog and smashing success of a tour has long been overlooked by the recording academy. 

The 2026 Grammy Awards features the new category Best Album Cover with nominees such as Bad Bunny, Tyler the Creator, Djo and Wet Leg. They are also splitting Best Country Album into two categories: Best Contemporary Country Album and Best Traditional Country Album. 

The 2026 Grammys will surely be an exciting event. Although the performers have not been announced yet, it is predicted that Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny will be some of the artists performing. The Grammys will be held Feb. 1, 2026.